Tag.



R. KEPNER.

TAG. APPLIGATION FILED MAB. 1o, 190e.

91 6,7 1 6 Patented Mar. 30, 1909.

wi M mazo a@ WMZ @2m pleted. Fig. 5 is a detail section illustrating 'or in other words, sheet metal which is soft l nnrrnn sr.afiins rarnnr onirica.

ROBERT KEPNER, OF POTTSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 30, 1909.

Application filed March 10, 1908. Serial No. 420,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ROBERT KnrNnR, a citizen of the United States of America, rei siding at Pottstown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented new and useful improvements in Tags, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to tags, the main object of the same being to provide a simple, inexpensive and effective tag which may be instantly applied to any desired article and which, by reason of the special construction hereinafter described, is adapted to clench itself in position on the article to which it is applied, a double clenching action being ef fected.

With the above and other objects in view, the nature of which will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement hereinafter fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing-Figure 1 is a plan view of the tag before bending the same. Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof after the prongs have been bent to one side of the body. Fig. 3 is a detail section showing the i manner of applying the tag to the article. Fig. 4 shows the tag after the operation of applying the same to an article has been commore in detail the cooperation of the parts of the tag when pressure is applied thereto to clench the same in its 'linal position. Fig. 6 is an edge view of the tag partly folded.

The tag is stamped out of soft sheet metal,

enough to admit of the bending and clenching action hereinafter fully described. The blank from which the tag is subsequently bent into sha e is all in one piece, and in the referred em odiment of the invention, the ody 1 of the tag is oblong and is reduced in Width centrally to forni a relatively narrow neck 2 along which the tag as a whole is folded in applying the same to any article. By reducing the body of the tag centrally, the tag is caused to comprise relatively wide end portions 3 and 4, and in stamping out the blan a pointed prong 5 is left projecting from one end of the blank, while another prong 6 is punched out of the body of the lank adjacent to the opposite end of the body, but sufficiently removed therefrom to leave ample space for the clenching or bending of the other prong 5 when the tag is folded about the margin or edge of the article to which it is subsequently applied.

ln ap )lying the tag to any article, the tag is folderV along the reduced center, and the end portions thereof are carried to opposite sides of the article which, in Fig. 3, is illustrated at 7 and shown in the form of a single ply or thickness, While in Figs. 4 and 5 such article or body is indicated as composed of a number of plies or thicknesses which are thus bound together by the tag which thereby also acts as a clip. Then pressure is brought to bear upon the oppositely lying portions of the tag the prongs 5 and 6 are forced through the article in the manner indicated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, until the points of the prongs come in contact with the body of the tag at opposite sides of such article, whereupon further pressure applied to the opposite portions of the tag results in deflecting the points of the prongs against the metal body of the tag, resulting in clenehing the ends of the prongs on opposite sides of the article to which the tag is applied. This forms a double clench or lock which effectually prevents the escape and loss of the tag.

The tag may be formed of any such soft metal, as aluminum, brass, copper or German silver and is all in one piece. Either or both end portions of the tag may have represented thereen in any desired manner such designs as mcnograins, insignia, private marks or symbols, and in fact the tag may be used for a great variety of pur ioses, such as a laundry marker or clothes ir. entifying device and may also be used for the purpose of applying trade marks to various articles, a so for binding a number of sheets of paper or other material together.

lt is practically impossible to remove the tag from the article without destroying it, so impairing its utility as to prevent the subsen quent use thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

A. soft sheet metal tag comprising an oblong body, and prongs located at unequal distances from the center of the body, one Y rong projecting from one eX treme edge of the Jody, and another prong being punched from the body within the margin of the o posite eX- treinity thereof, the said prongs lbeing bent substantially et right angles to the body and n testimony whereof I eiiiX my signature being located so es to slide in contact With in presence of two Witnesses.

one another When the end portions of the body are folded and pressed toward each other end cause the points of the prongs to be deiected against the body in reverse directions.

ROBERT KEPNER. 

